Simulation of the solidification organization of X15CrNiSi20-12 alloy castings during investment casting based on the CAFE model

Abstract

In this work, the CAFE (Cellular Automata Finite Element) model was used to simulate the grain growth of X15CrNiSi20-12 austenitic stainless steel during the investment casting process, and the effects of shell thickness, shell temperature, casting temperature, and cooling rate on the solidification organization were investigated by orthogonal tests. The results show that the cooling method has an important effect on the formation of equiaxed crystals. However, the shell temperature, shell thickness, and casting temperature have a smaller effect on the formation of equiaxed crystals. A more equiaxed fine grain structure can be obtained by using a shell thickness of 7 mm, shell temperature of 1143.15 K, casting temperature of 1913.15 K, and water-cooling conditions. In addition, a decrease in the shell thickness, shell temperature, and casting temperature can lead to an increase in the grain size, while an increase in the cooling rate will lead to smaller grain size and increase the number of equiaxed fine crystals, thus improving the mechanical properties of the material.

Simulation and Study of Influencing Factors on the Solidification Microstructure of Hazelett Continuous Casting Slabs Using CAFE Model

“…Furthermore, the Al-Ti-B refiner induces internal crystal nucleation during aluminum liquid solidification, fostering a uniform and dense structure within the aluminum alloy and mitigating segregation [28]. Within the transition and central layers, the formation of α-Al solid solutions and the precipitation of phases like Al6 (Mn,Fe) influence the kinetics of grain growth, thereby encouraging equiaxed grain development [29]. Consistent conditions such as heat accumulation, uniform elemental distribution, prolonged solidification time, lower temperature gradients, and slower cooling rates lead to grains tending towards random orientation growth.…”

Simulation and Experimental Study on the Effect of Superheat on Solidification Microstructure Evolution of Billet in Continuous Casting

“…Based on numerical simulation and experiments, the effects of process parameters on center ECR and SDAS are investigated. Xiao et al [12] researched the grain growth process of X15CrNiSi20-12 austenitic stainless steel in the process of investment casting by using the cellular automaton finite element (CAFE) model, and studied the effects of shell thickness, shell temperature, pouring temperature and cooling rate on the solidification structure via orthogonal test. The results show that the cooling method has an important effect on the formation of axial crystals.…”